Huntress
by American Zombie
Summary: AU. She wants revenge, he wants her, and they will destroy all in their path to obtain what they covet.
1. Chapter 1

**HUNTRESS**

" _It's funny, most people think that revenge is a passionate affair, driven by rage and pain. But it can't be. Feelings such as those make you weak."  
\- Carrie Ryan –_

* * *

 **Chapter One: Playful Treason  
**

* * *

Prince Ozai knew that she was the girl he would sleep with that night, because she met his gaze without a trace of fear.

He was in a smoky room that smelled of overpowering incense and echoed with clashing voices, and he liked it. These places were far more entertaining than pretty political affairs. Not to mention the fact that he owned it.

The girl was on the younger side but her eyes were hardened, as if they had seen more of the world than he ever did. He watched her from afar as people groveled and bent over backwards for an ounce of his attention. She met his eyes five times before he had enough of it.

"Invite her upstairs," he ordered. The guard playing with one of his broadswords flinched, then hastened to find his prince's plaything.

He left the back of the room and walked up to a seating area of drunk politicians and military officials who thought they were any better than the drunk servants and soldiers below. The only important man in this pathetic establishment was himself.

Before any of them could lick his boots, he was facing the ice cold young woman.

"You seemed bored," he said, smirking at her.

"I was," she coolly replied. "I think that this bar is much too safe and cozy for my liking. Not a single brawl all night, and not even a dartboard."

He decided that he liked her, and offered, "Well, I could acquire those."

"I'm flattered." She did not sound like it, but he did not really care.

Ozai ran his finger along the arm of the empty chair beside him, leaving a streak without dust. Her eyes followed. "You've been watching me."

She cocked an eyebrow for half a second. "Has anyone here failed to notice the son of an emperor sitting in the back leering at me?"

If she were not so pretty, he would have killed her.

"Possibly," he replied, stepping back and sitting down. "Do you have a name?"

"Will you remember it tomorrow?" she so cutely asked.

"Maybe," he said, "if you stay up here for a while and continue to commit light treason."

She faintly smiled. "Why does your tone make me think that your offer is mandatory, your majesty?"

"Because it is."

She sat down and picked up a drink that did not belong to her.

* * *

Half an hour after a quite entertaining conversation, alone in locked room, Ozai had her pinned against the wall and was halfway through undressing her when her lack of fear for him flared up again. She set her hand on his shoulder and he did not release her arm, despite stepping back slightly.

"I actually came here for a reason," she whispered, trying to catch her breath. "I came to talk to you, and, well, I had to get you alone."

"What?" That was… new, to say the least, but he could not call this one unoriginal.

"I have a business proposition that you don't want to pass up. We can finish this when I'm done," she dryly announced.

"We can finish this when I say we can," he growled.

"Or I can stab you and leave." She _did_ have a knife. That was grounds to burn her to death, but he wondered what could make a girl hold a weapon to him. His curiosity spared her life.

He grabbed her by the wrist, twisted with heat, and the blade hit the ground.

"Who the fuck do you think you are?" he demanded, enunciating every syllable.

"We've actually met more times than I can count. I grew up in your house," said Mai and he released her arm.

"Are you my child?" It would not be surprising.

"No, but it has been about a decade, so I don't blame you for not recognizing me. I have filled out slightly in that time period. I was engaged to your son," she explained.

"I disowned him. He's not my son." Ozai was half-offended that she called him that.

"Which is exactly why I wanted to talk to you. You are the only person who can give me what I want," she said, and in an eerily calm deadpan explained, "I want Zuko dead. But I don't just want him dead; that's not nearly satisfying enough. I want all of his little friends dead first, I want everything he ever cared about destroyed, and after that I want him to know his death is coming but not know how to prevent it."

That was unlike anything he had ever heard before.

"Well, that's an understandable goal, but I don't know why you need me…"

"Mai, your majesty."

"I don't know why you need me, Mai."

"I didn't dedicate my life to the death of the disgraced Prince Zuko on a whim because I was bored. I have thought everything through, and I can't do it alone. I don't know where he has. I don't have the means to accomplish it. I need a very particular set of skills that you happen to have. My list was very narrow and I thought he would probably fear you the most out of everyone on it."

"You haven't told me what I get out of this," he said.

"The warm fuzzy feeling that comes with helping others." She did not laugh; neither did he. "Name your price. I have never wanted anything in my life until a year ago, and I will do anything to get it."

He… was interested. There was something about what she said and how she said it that made him crave more answers. Maybe she had a good enough reason and a good enough plan that he could have an amusing excursion for the first time in years.

"I think I have to consider that price. I'm not going to ask for just anything," he earnestly answered.

"I think that's wise," she honestly replied.

Ozai wanted to ask what his former son did to deserve the wrath of this girl, but he decided against it. He would have her under his control until she knew he would help her. It was obvious that he was her last hope; she had a cold expression but the look in her eye of someone begging not to be murdered.

"Why don't we finish what we've started and discuss your grand revenge later?" he offered, and she faltered. Her composure briefly vanished, but it returned as swiftly as it left.

"We can," she whispered, and he could tell she did not mean it.

His first instinct was to ignore that, and pretend to believe her, and take what he wanted, but the whole vengeance on Zuko speech made him think twice.

"Go home. Or wherever you're spending the night. I'll arrange for a meeting with you tomorrow," he said, and she did not hesitate to leave.

He found another girl in minutes, because there is a plethora of pretty girls, but only one who had dedicated her life to murdering Zuko.

* * *

Mai looked different in the daylight.

The dark circles under her amber eyes were apparent, her sallow skin, her glistening hair. She was not any less beautiful, but she was far less healthy. He wondered if his son was truly capable of doing that to a person. Maybe it was proof of the sad, sad fact that Zuko was likely his child.

Ozai was outside in an area with as few eavesdroppers as possible. He knew at least a servant or two would overhear, but this neglected part of the courtyard was not popular. So, he was seated in front of a worn stone table as he waited for her.

She shrugged off the guard and sat down across from him.

They waited in silence as a servant poured her a cup of tea. She looked at it with distaste, but began to sip it nonetheless. Her eyes flashed from burning her mouth, and she put it down while covering up the pain.

Ozai spoke first, as it should be.

"Are you going to tell me what Zuko did to deserve your elaborate wrath?" he asked, noticing the sad state of her nails.

"If you ordered me to, of course I would, but you can't be certain if I'll lie to you or not. You can be certain that I'm desperate," Mai replied.

He liked the forwardness. Ozai never expected to enjoy the company of someone so defiant, but it was intriguing, so he would entertain it so long as she did not go too far.

"We'll move on from that," he said. "My father has no idea where that boy ran off to, and neither do I. He left his guard in the middle of the night and everyone assumed he died in the Earth Kingdom."

"He didn't. Not yet, at least," she said. Careless, but confident, he noted.

"Did you have a relationship with him?" he inquired.

"Yes." She seemed sickened by the fact and he could not hold back a smirk.

"Did he cheat on you?" It seemed logical.

"I don't know, but that's a really petty reason to utterly destroy him, don't you think?" Mai said, touching her finger into her tea and deeming it too hot again.

"I don't know you." The silence made her visibly nervous at last. "Are you going to thank me for last night?"

"Maybe. What am I thanking you for?" she calmly asked, as if it were not obvious.

"For just letting you leave like that." He nearly laughed; she was clueless. Fearsome, but clueless.

She looked at him like he was insane. That expression disappeared, as expected.

"Thank you," she said, and her even tone made it impossible to tell if she was being genuine or not. _"_ I know how I—how _we_ —can find him."

"How?" He leaned forward slightly.

"I told you about my desire to crush his loved ones," Mai said. "My idea is to interrogate a chain of people, starting with someone easy to find, and going from there. Someone has to know."

"Do you not know? I thought you were involved with him?"

"I haven't been involved with him for over a year." She did not sound very happy, at least more so than before.

"I see," he said. "This doesn't require my personal attention. I can lend you someone competent to help you out."

"What _does_ require your personal attention?" She gripped the table tightly. "Pushing stone soldiers around on tables and fucking girls your daughter's age? This sounds much more exciting to me than any of the other things in your wasted life."

They swiftly stood at the same time, and he moved for her first.

* * *

 _TBC. . ._


	2. Chapter 2

**AN:** I'm sorry I've been gone so long. I let fanfic slip while I was doing school and other stuff IRL. I've always been more of a reader of it than a writer. But while I was cleaning my closet I found my old outline for this story and was inspired to keep writing it. I probably will update my other stories soon too. It takes me a long time to write since I'm a perfectionist but I really do want to finish my fics. Thank you so, so much for waiting.

Heads up for a **lemon** this chapter at the end.

* * *

 **Chapter Two: Not the Brothel Type**

* * *

After their second tryst in under two days, Ozai decided he should ask a few of his countless questions. The most important one should come first. He generally tried to avoid thinking that way and often just demanded answers from those lesser to him. But the girl getting dressed in front of him might be more difficult. She was different than any other girl he had laid, which would explain why she was still in his presence in early afternoon after the night he first met her.

"That was fun," said Ozai but she did not gush over it like most girls would. "Now, sweet thing, if you want my help, you are going to tell me exactly what you have been doing for a year since you broke things off with my son."

Mai looked him up and down, sighed, got out of bed and found her clothes. "I can show you better than I can tell you."

"Sounds dangerous," he mocked but she ignored his disdain.

She said flatly, "You like dangerous, or you wouldn't have slept me last night."

"You aren't dangerous," he said smoothly. "You are unnerving at best."

Mai just shrugged. He liked that about her.

"May I lead the way, your highness?" asked Mai, not taunting him enough to earn a bruise.

He nodded but maintained his disdainful sneer.

* * *

Mai took him into the sketchiest part of Caldera he knew. She walked into what appeared to be a restaurant but smelled like the inside of a shoe mixed with metallic blood. He heard the roars of fighters and knew where she took him.

To a dance.

He always liked these kinds of places. They entertained him when very few things still could.

They strode inside and he saw the chaos. A ring was in the center and two men wailed on each other as the crowd breathlessly watched and a few contenders trained in the shadows.

"And you fight here, I imagine?" Ozai asked, laughing at her.

"Yeah. It was this or a brothel, and I am not the brothel type."

He smirked at her and said coldly, "You could be. You are very good at it."

For the sake of her vengeance, Mai ignored his degrading comment and said calmly, "I'm better at this. Get some side bets going."

Ozai cleared his throat and dug his fingers into her arm. "If you want my help, or not to spend a few nights in a dungeon, you will not give me orders."

Mai bowed. It seemed halfway sincere.

"My apologies. Your highness, will you please get some side bets going for me? My usual girl isn't here tonight," said Mai. She walked to a man at a desk and scrawled her name on a yellowed page in a book of signatures.

He shook his head and drifted to the back. It always was the best seat in the house for a royal amongst scumbags. Ozai watched Mai stand outside of the ring, a placid expression on her face as if there were not two men beating each other to a bloody pulp right above and in front of her.

She rose up into the ring quickly; she was a fan favorite here. Ozai supposed this was how nonbenders had their fun and he doubted it would be very exciting without fire.

He stood corrected. The edges of the ring lit ablaze, upping the danger level significantly.

Mai impressed him.

* * *

After she won three fights and they both ended up with a good deal of gold, she sat down at a rickety table as a girl in a skimpy outfit gave her a drink. She sipped it, Ozai glared until the girl quickly served him one as well.

Mai sighed. "I'm sore."

"I could make you sorer," he said and she fought the urge to roll her eyes. At least she won.

"Do you have your answer now?" Mai asked dryly.

"You have just been fighting here for an entire year?" Ozai commented.

"Not exactly. I fought in a sleazier one of these in the Earth Kingdom to earn the money to get to Caldera. Then I started working at this one." Mai toweled the sweat off of her body. He considered stopping her, because the sheen was sexy on her pallid skin, but he held back. "Now, can we discuss Zuko or not, your majesty?"

Ozai licked his lips. "Fair enough. You want revenge; I'm not sure what I want yet, but you will give it to me when I eventually ask."

"Of course," Mai said, subconsciously bowing her head slightly.

"How did you end up in the Earth Kingdom?"

"To fight in the war," said Mai, examining her sharp black fingernails.

Ozai rubbed his chin when he offhandedly said, "Which is why you're so talented at beating men half to death."

"I was in an elite forces squadron," Mai said and he noticed a wistful note in her tone. It was the first time he heard emotion in her voice. "My specialty was knives and we mainly took out high profile targets and worked in infiltration. I met Zuko while spying on him. He found me out but fell so in love with me that he didn't care."

"He always was weak. If I were in his situation, I would have killed you," Ozai growled.

"I know," Mai said.

She rose and started to walk out of the bar, and turned to look at him. Her face said nothing but her eyes informed him of what exactly they would spend their night doing.

He casually followed her.

* * *

Ozai took her to the palace. He did not mind it, bringing her to his lavish quarters in the dead of the night. No one noticed.

They did not reach his bed; he would prefer the floor. He grabbed her and pulled her into a kiss and she stepped back then forward then back then seemed to decide she wanted it.

Mai struggled with his shirt while he concentrated on hers. The outfit was still sweaty, bloody and worn from the fights. He did not care as he undid the last of her clothes and threw them on the floor without giving them a second glance. She finished with removing his clothes. He yanked her towards him and held her close, pressing their bare chests together as he moved her, forcing her down onto the floor beneath him with her back pressed into the hard stone.

His hands moved down to the hem of her underwear and he pushed them down over her hips. He removed his own clothes.

She hid that she liked the feel of him, hot and hard, against her thigh. His hands were everywhere all at once and she concealed that she loved that. He would have to work much, much harder than that to make her even react. After all, he was everywhere but where he wanted him to be most, but his cock was there, grinding against her where wetness was building rapidly.

He pulled her up and undid her hair. She supposed he was into something that simple since his cock pulsed against the skin of her stomach, but she did not have a choice. She needed his help and she would jump through these sexual hoops to get it. He tangled his hands into the raven tresses near the base of her neck and pinned her down, securing her in place, controlling her.

In their messy past encounters, he was definitely in control, but not this forcefully.

He held her tightly in place as he crushed his lips violently against hers. Her hands roamed over his back and she dug her nails in halfway down.

When he thrust into her she softly, faintly gasped so quickly that someone could miss it. He was hard and long and thick around. She did not mind this part of her revenge at all. He wanted nothing more than to keep touching her, to taste her, but he wanted nothing more than to slide the head of his cock over her clit, again and again, until she at last moaned.

He slid into her and buried himself to the hilt. Her fingernails dug deeper and he grimaced at the sharp pain. She drew blood. He liked that. He liked her stifling her moan against her neck.

Ozai did not bother with being gentle. He never did before. Hard. Fast.

Mai closed her eyes and controlled herself as she drew closer to the brink. She was good at this, good at seeming unbreakable and cold as ice.

He tilted her hips, finding a new angle. With every stroke, he hit the right spot inside of her. Mai knew she wasted her time with the immature and inexperienced but not to this extent.

She was going to…

She would not. She would not.

She did come hard around him, for the first time in their now three times together.

Abruptly, he finished and released her hair.

They did not lock eyes or look at each other for long as they pried themselves apart. It was just a requirement of Mai's revenge and it was just another girl to him.

It was nothing more than—admittedly hot—sex and it would never be anything more than that. They both would make sure of it.

* * *

In the morning, Mai walked through the palace. It was where Zuko grew up, before he was cast out by his own family. She hated thinking of him. It left a bitter taste in her mouth.

She sat down and thought through the plan.

If all went well, she and Ozai would start a journey to the west by tomorrow.


End file.
